Flooring-clamp



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No. 232,470. Patented se o.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM DONLEY, OF OONESVILLE, OHIO.

FLOORING-CLAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 232,470, dated September 21, 1880.

Application filed June 2, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM DONLEY, of Oonesville, in the county of Ooshocton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garpenter-Tools--\-*iz., Flooring-Clamps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of tools used by carpenters for clamping and forcing into place the tloor or weather-boarding of a building; and it consists in two pivoted levers whose long arms are used as handles and whose short arms are curved toward each other in a regular curve, ending in a point adapted to enter the wood, and provided or formed just behind the point with an anvilshoulder for forcing it into hard woods, substantially as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in which the figure represents a side view of my invention.

A represents the short arms of two levers, which are pivoted together at a and are extended beyond the pivot to form long handles B B. The short arms of these levers are bent in a regular curve in opposite directions, widenin g out in their center and nearly meeting at their extremities, where they end in short spear-like points I) 1), extending toward each other. Just behind these points the arms are formed with an anvil-shoulder, c 0, by striking on which they are forced into woods too hard to enter by the compression of the handles.

When in use the joist or studdin g is clamped with the tongs, the points I) being forced into the wood to secure afirm hold, and the side of the instrument pressed against the boards (N 0 model.)

forces them into place, where they are secured. When the wood is very hard or full of knots a few blows of a hammer on the anvil-shoulder provided for that purpose will often be necessary in order to secure a firm grasp.

I am well aware that flooring-tongs have been made very much resembling mine, as, for instance, that of E. J. Houston, patented February 18. 1873; but in this device the clamping-arms are almost straight and have the points upon the inner sides of their extremities. In this construction the arms are very liable to become bent, cannot grasp a wide joist as securely, and when struck upon the back to force the points into the wood are liable to soon become bent, battered, and misshapen. In my instrument the regular curve given to the arms enables me to grasp with ease and firmness a much widerjoist or beam, is much stronger and less liable to bend, and is provided especially with an anvil-shoulder in rear of the point to receive the blows of the hammer. The points also are not formed upon the side of the arm, but are formed by a continuation of the curve of the clamping-arm, and are much stronger and better adapted to firmly grasp the beam.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The within-described flooring-tool consisting of two pivoted levers, A A, the shorter arms of which are curved from their pivotpoint to their outer ends, as shown, and there terminating with an edge or point, I) I), back of which are formed the anvil-shoulders c c,

all constructed and arranged substantially asherein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own invention I affix my signature in pres- 8 5 ence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM DONLEY. Witnesses:

W. H. TAYLOR, D. (J. OBRIST. 

